Six Thinking Hats

Lesson 1. Introduction.

In The Six Thinking Hats Edward de Bono dives right into the basic psychology of humans. How we make use of our thinking faculties is still a mystery to most of us. We imagine ‘thinking’ as a random process, and never try to really study it. Today, we will!

The book gives us insights about the natural perspectives that we all hold, unknown to ourselves. It’ll help us be more matured in discussions, be it personal or professional. It’ll give us a wider sense of the conversations we participate in. We’ll be able to understand others better, and avoid heated arguments.

The author presents us with a simple idea to understand this. It is as simple as wearing a hat! That’s all we have to do. But first, let’s understand what these “hats” are, and how to wear them. We will also learn when and where to use which hat. These hats will solve most of our problems in life in mere minutes.

So what are we waiting for then? Let’s get to it!

Lesson 2. Problem with Conversations.

We, as humans, tend to be biased in our discussions. We have a point-of-view on a matter, and are reluctant to change it. This is why we are pulled into unnecessary arguments all the time. Arguments are a waste of time and energy, and we must learn to avoid them altogether.

More often than not, this becomes a major problem. It results in poor professional performance and unhealthy relationships. There’s no end to the harm that bad conversations can cause, intentionally or otherwise.

The different parts of our brain are like completely different people. One part is really emotional and sensitive to others’ feelings. While another part is void of any feelings, and thinks based only on facts. Some parts are really shy to come out, while another is excited to present its ideas. This causes chaos. One must learn to control the behavior of their brain. We must command the different personalities hidden inside, and not let them command us.

The idea is to observe a single problem from multiple perspectives. It is just like viewing an object from different angles. You have to change your position with every hat, and see only from that angle. It’ll make all the things simple to process. Think of a cube that is colored differently on each face. Now, what color is the cube? If you try to answer it, you’ll get confused. Now, if someone asks what color is side 1 of the cube? You immediately answer, “red!” because